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High School Cincinnati St. Xavier Bombers

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11/15/05

St. X-Wayne moved to Nippert

Kickoff for playoff game also changed to 12:30 p.m. Saturday

St. Xavier will face both Huber Heights Wayne and the Ohio State-Michigan football game this Saturday.

St. Xavier (12-0), ranked No. 1 in the state, will play No. 9 Wayne (11-1) in a Division I regional final football game at UC's Nippert Stadium at 12:30 p.m. Saturday.

St. X-Wayne had been scheduled for 7 p.m. Saturday at Middletown's Barnitz Stadium, but the Ohio High School Athletic Association moved the game Monday to accommodate the expected crowd. Barnitz seats about 10,000; Nippert seats 35,000.

The Ohio State-Michigan game is 1 p.m. Saturday.

"Both teams had to agree to the move, and they (Wayne) wanted it as much as we did," said John Sullivan, St. X athletic director.
Wayne athletic director Jim Sherard concurred.

"This is the best option for everyone," Sherard said. "Yes, we have to play in Cincinnati, but the field is going to be the same length for everyone."
There apparently was little alternative for the adjusted St. X-Wayne site. The OHSAA said Miami University (Yager Stadium) had indicated it was available, perhaps even for a Sunday game. But then the Miami administration said no, there were too many other school activities (including a hockey game) scheduled in Oxford this weekend.

In UC's case, the St. X-Wayne game requires a daytime kickoff because the Bearcats have a men's basketball game (vs. Murray State) at 7 p.m. Saturday, next door to Nippert Stadium.

Hank Zaborniak, an OHSAA assistant commissioner, said the association would prefer a geographic midpoint for regional finals, which are set for "neutral" sites.

"We also don't like to go head to head with Ohio State-Michigan, but Nippert is available and both parties agreed to the day game," Zaborniak said.
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X Buckeyes07 X said:
Nippert now has field turf. Wayne's fans seem to think this will be an advantage to them and think they have the faster team, but X's defense is pretty damn athletic and quick. I honestly don't see this as being a huge advantage for either team. Apparently a lot of Wayne fans might not make the trip now, as it conflicts with The Game.
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not just Wayne fans...This Colerain fan was planning on attending and supporting X...But I won't miss the OSU/scUM game for it. I will be checking yappi for updates, though.

:)
 
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11/18/05

St. Xavier vs. Huber Heights Wayne

WHEN/WHERE: 12:30 p.m. Saturday at Nippert Stadium, University of
Cincinnati

RECORDS: St. Xavier 12-0, Huber Heights Wayne 11-1

WHAT TO WATCH: St. Xavier seeks its first state semifinal berth since 2001. RB Darius Ashley (1,252 yards rushing, 23 TDs) scored the game-clincher on a 20-yard TD pass from Brad Scherer in last week's 12-9 OT win over Colerain. The Bombers' defense has allowed only 61 points. Wayne is led by Southwest District offensive player of the year Alex Earley, a senior QB who led last week's 29-28 comeback win over Centerville. Earley threw three TD passes in a 4:19 span to lead Wayne back from a 28-10 fourth-period deficit, and he has thrown for 2,492 yards and 26 TDs overall.

BOTTOM LINE: St. X faces the best QB it has seen all year in Earley. But St. X has shut down great offenses all season. The Bombers should advance.
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11/18/05

Bombers face QB challenge
Earley leads explosive offense

By Carey Hoffman
Enquirer contributor

Last week's challenge for St. Xavier was to prepare for the ultimate rushing offense in Colerain.

This week, it has to deal with southwest Ohio's top quarterback.
St. X (12-0) meets Huber Heights Wayne (11-1) in a Division I regional championship game at 12:30 p.m. today at UC's Nippert Stadium. The winner advances to the state semifinals.

Wayne is led by Alex Earley, a 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior quarterback who was named as the Southwest Ohio District Division I Offensive Player of the Year. He's the heart of a Wayne offense that averages nearly 39 points a game.

"Their quarterback, Alex Earley, is pretty special," said St. X coach Steve Specht. "Whatever 'it' is, he's got it."

That would be hard to deny after Earley has led Wayne to come-from-behind victories against Moeller and then Centerville in the first two rounds of the playoffs.

Against Moeller, he threw for 245 yards and four TDs. Against Centerville, he scored on a 50-yard run early and then led his team out of an 18-point deficit with just seven minutes remaining by throwing for three more TDs.
"Our kids have seen it on film, what he can accomplish, what he can do," Specht said. "And they have a lot of skill guys he can go to. He's a special young man. These are the kind of kids you love to play against. You want to play the best, and we've got that opportunity."

Earley has thrown for 2,492 yards and 25 TDs this year, against only five interceptions. He also has run for 566 yards.

His favorite receiver is 6-2 senior Billy Viers, a first-team all Greater Western Ohio Conference honoree, and he has a dangerous scatback in 5-7 junior Joe Gilford.

Defensively, Wayne is led by tackle Martin Channels (6-0, 300), linebacker Jeff Cleveland (6-1, 220) and defensive back Brandon Davis (6-0, 170).
The Warriors have one more weapon to remember in senior Josh Fickert, the first-team all-district choice at kicker.

Wayne has played three common opponents with St. X: Elder, Moeller and Fairfield. Fairfield did the best job in holding Earley in check, limiting him to 94 passing yards and 11 rushing yards in the second week of the season.
Four turnovers, including one interception returned for a TD, overcame Fairfield's defensive effort of holding Wayne to just 203 total yards, as Wayne won 28-27.

Fairfield coach Scott Dattilo said his staff didn't concentrate on stopping Earley as much as defending against Wayne's spread passing-attack scheme. Fairfield rushed only three linemen, then put the rest of the defense in coverage to defend the quick passing game Wayne often employs.

"I don't know if we have a true dropback spread passing team that throws it 25 times a game down here," Dattilo said when asked if any local teams compare to Wayne. "We've got a lot of teams that will run the ball out of the spread, but not spread passing teams. It's kind of unique - they just want the quarterback to slice-and-dice you."

Dattilo sees the key for Wayne being whether it can successfully run its passing game.

"Nobody's scored points on X, or run the ball on them," said Dattilo, whose team lost to St. X 45-0 in the first round of the playoffs. "Their run defense is unbelievable. Wayne's chance to put up points is to have a high-percentage passing game and keep their defense off the field."

"Their offense is obviously conducive to scoring at any point in time," Specht said of Wayne. "When you throw like (Earley) can, you can be effective. He can throw on the run or in the pocket. He can beat you with his arm or his legs. If you get ahead and think you're up by enough, you're not. We want to get up in this game, but if we do, we can't rest on that (lead)."

Wayne has won 11 games in a row since dropping its season opener to Elder 21-14.

Wayne, a playoff qualifier in five of the past seven years, made it all the way to the state championship game that year before losing to Cleveland St. Ignatius 24-10.
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11/18/05

St. X vs. No. 1 Lakeland in '06?
Elder, Moeller also could be in Ohio vs. USA Challenge


The St. Xavier football team, No. 9 in the USA Today rankings, might play No. 1 Lakeland (Fla.) next season.

Also, Elder might play national power De La Salle of Concord, Calif., and Moeller will play an unnamed national power the same weekend next season. The games would be part of the second annual Kirk Herbstreit Ohio vs. USA Challenge, with times, places and dates to be announced soon.

Details of the games have begun leaking out, although promoter FSM Group (from Central Ohio) and Herbstreit have not released details.

Elder athletic director Dave Dabbelt, St. Xavier AD John Sullivan and Moeller AD Barry Borman all confirmed Friday the games probably will occur in the fourth week of the 2006 season, which would be Sept. 15-16.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to happen," Dabbelt said. "They're just trying to decide where to play."

Sullivan said promoters have asked the schools to keep details quiet, for now.

"All I can tell you is I've signed a contract," Sullivan said.

Moeller's Borman said his team is just waiting to hear who it will play.

"We'll play anybody any time, that's our policy," Borman said.

This season, Colerain beat Tyler Lee (Texas) 27-12 at Columbus Crew Stadium in the inaugural Herbstreit event, which also included a game between Columbus teams Westerville North and Westerville South.

Next year, there could be more games over two days in the event.

Elder and De La Salle probably would play on Saturday, Sept. 16 at either Paul Brown Stadium or UC's Nippert Stadium. It is not known when or where St. X or Moeller will play, but Cincinnati seems a distinct possibility.

De La Salle is best known for its 151-game winning streak that lasted from 1991-2004. This year De La Salle is still involved in the California playoffs, taking a 9-2 record into a North Coast Section 4A game Friday night.
Lakeland took an 11-0 record into a regional playoff game Friday night in Florida.

Elder was Ohio Division I champion in both 2002 and '03 but slipped to 4-6 this year, its first losing record since 1986.

St. Xavier (12-0 this season) plays Huber Heights Wayne at 12:30 p.m. today at UC's Nippert Stadium in an Ohio Division I regional final.

Moeller (6-5 this year) made the Ohio playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Crusaders won seven state titles between 1975-85.
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X up 20-7 on Wayne in the 2nd quarter..but Wayne is now using a hurry up offense and has completed 3 passes in a row.

Darius Ashley has 12 carries for 62 yards and 2 TDs. Fred Craig, another X sophomore, has a punt block for a TD. Joe Reis, a senior captain, has an INT returned to Wayne's 20 that set up Darius' second TD.
 
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St. Xavier wins Region 4 and advances to the state semi's!

Final score is
X 42
Wayne 7

After Wayne methodically moved the ball down the field for a TD on their first drive, the X defense took over and forced numerous errors (INTs, Punt block for TD, Wayne fumbled a punt return that set up a Chris Cionni TD, etc.). It was great to see Chris Cionni get a touchdown...he's a great kid and has been incredibly unselfish in helping Darius Ashley develop and learn the playbook.

Darius had 22 carries for 129 yards and 3 rushing TDs, as well as another catch for a TD.
 
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http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051120/SPT030101/511200442/1074/SPT03

Sunday, November 20, 2005 Bombers stay on D-I target
St. X gains its first state semis berth since 2001
By Tom Groeschen
Enquirer staff writer
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The Enquirer/Sarah Conard
Darius Ashley scored four touchdowns to lead the Bombers.





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The Enquirer/Sarah Conard
St. X's Tim Lynch (left) congratulates Darius Ashley (8) after one of his TDs.
It was early, and St. Xavier took advantage of the wake-up call.
The Bombers' defense allowed a rare, sustained touchdown drive - 16 plays, 73 yards - and fell behind 7-0 on Huber Heights Wayne's first offensive series Saturday. About two hours later, St. X left UC's Nippert Stadium with a 42-7 win and a berth in next Saturday's Division I football state semifinals.
"No one has really done that to us all year," St. X coach Steve Specht said of the long Wayne march. "The important thing is, we answered back right away."
St. X scored on its next possession and was ahead 26-7 by halftime, as the state's No. 1-ranked Bombers (13-0) showed No. 9 Wayne (11-2) who's boss in Southwest Ohio. The Bombers advanced to the program's first state semifinal since 2001, when St. X was state runner-up.
The Bombers again rode sophomore running back Darius Ashley (129 yards rushing, four TDs) and its quick, hard-hitting defense to victory. St. X has allowed only 68 points all year.
The crowd was listed as an estimated 10,000, with the 12:30 p.m. kickoff going up against the Michigan-Ohio State game that began at 1 p.m. Saturday.
After Wayne's opening TD, St. X quarterback Brad Scherer directed the Bombers on a 16-play, 60-yard drive, with Ashley scoring from 2 yards out.
Danny Milligan's PAT kick made it 7-7.
Wayne's upset hopes started fading with 7:10 left in the second quarter, when a wave of blue-shirted Bombers blocked a punt. St. X linebacker Fred Craig scooped up the football and went 20 yards to score, and St. X had a 14-7 lead.
"The wheels fell off," Wayne coach Jay Minton said. "We started making mistakes, and against a really good team you can't do that. All credit to them."
St. X advances to the state semifinals Saturday against 13-0 Hilliard Davidson. The game site will be announced today.
Ashley led St. X with three rushing TDs, and he also caught a 32-yard pass for a score.
"My offensive line just opened huge holes for me," Ashley said. "They make it easy."
Ashley and Specht both mentioned the unsung St. X blockers by name, including linemen Andrew Hauser, Evan Wenker, Wes Schroder, Howard Patton, Max Baumann and Tim Lynch, and fullback Jimmy Hobson.
Ashley has 27 touchdowns this season and has rushed for 1,381 yards.
St. Xavier's defense did not take kindly to the opening Wayne drive. Wayne quarterback Alex Earley, the Southwest District Division I offensive player of the year, guided the Warriors downfield and handed to Joe Gilford for a 1-yard TD.
Specht said St. X thereafter did not blitz as much, usually rushing just three players and dropping more men into coverage to keep Earley at bay. Earley finished with 161 yards passing on 19-of-32 attempts but was intercepted twice.
St. X held a 396-231 edge in total offense. The Bombers ran for 280 yards and threw for 116, while Wayne rushed for just 55 yards and threw for 176.
"Earley is good, and we found that out immediately," Specht said. "We started playing a lot of two-deep stuff and spied him every time. Our defensive coaches and players did a great job of adjusting."
St. X's defense followed the blocked punt with interceptions by linebacker Joe Ries and defensive back Tim Fagel on the next two Wayne series.
The Bombers' defensive standouts included DE Alex Albright with a sack, 1½ tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and a role in the blocked punt. Statisticians credited Albright with the block, but Albright said it wasn't him.
Defensive back Frank Morand was the top St. X tackler with six assists and two solos, and he also broke up two passes and recovered a fumble.
St. X, rated No. 9 nationally by USA Today, also got some revenge for the 1999 Bombers' team. The '99 Bombers, considered one of the best teams in school history, were upset by Wayne in a regional semifinal game.
Wayne7000 - 7St. Xavier719133 -42W-Gilford 1 run (Fickert kick)
SX-Ashley 2 run (Milligan kick)
SX-Craig 20 blocked punt return (Milligan kick)
SX-Ashley 13 run (kick failed)
SX-Ashley 32 pass from Scherer (pass failed)
SX-Ashley 16 run (run failed)
SX-Cionni 2 run (Milligan kick
SX-Milligan 28 FG
Records: W 11-2, SX 13-0.
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11/25/05

Bombers have seen this before
Hilliard Davidson's offense looks a lot like Colerain's

St. Xavier coach Steve Specht stopped short of comparing Hilliard Davidson to the Colerain Cardinals, whom the Bombers beat twice this season.

"I don't think it's fair to compare any team to Colerain," Specht said.

But he could not deny the similarities in their offenses.

"They're similar in that they have talented running backs and don't throw the ball often," Specht said. "But Hilliard Davidson is not a pure triple-option team like Colerain. They have a big quarterback and a power running game."

St. Xavier (13-0), ranked No. 1 in the final Associated Press state poll, will play seventh-ranked Hilliard Davidson (13-0) at 7 p.m. Saturday in a Division I state semifinal at Miami University's Yager Stadium.

At stake for the Bombers is their first trip to the state championship game since 2001.

Specht says he'll have no problem preventing his players from looking beyond the undefeated Wildcats.

"Our kids approach each game like it's the last one on earth," he said. "Hilliard Davidson is 13-0. There's nothing more to say."

Specht didn't need to watch much film to determine how Hilliard Davidson has been successful.

Wildcats senior running back Christen Haywood, who has committed to Kent State, rushed for more than 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns this season despite missing four games with a sprained knee ligament.

"He's a very special running back," said Specht.

The Bombers defense also will need to keep a watchful eye on Wildcats fullback Bo Delande, who has rushed for more than 1,200 yards.

Specht said watching Hilliard Davidson's defense on film is like looking in a mirror. Davidson has recorded 76 tackles for loss and 25 sacks this season.
"They aren't big, but they're fast," Specht said. "They break to the ball and they are excellent tacklers."

The Bombers will counter with sophomore Darius Ashley, who has rushed for 385 yards and scored six touchdowns in three playoff games.

St. Xavier is ranked No. 9 nationally by USA Today.
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So Far...St. X 3 HD 0

First 5 drives.
X 3 and out
HD 4 and out (stopped on 4th down)
X drives to the 18 and kicks a FG
HD 3 and out after a kickoff return to midfield
X 3 and out
HD with the ball on their own 49.

Defensive battle so far.
 
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X 10 HD 7

Next 3 drives...

HD 3 and out
X almost 3 and out, then on a muffed punt the punter ran for the first. Got another 1st down on a pass, and then Ashley broke a huge run to the 3. Cionni scores a TD on the next run.
HD got their 1st First Down, then threw a 72 yard bomb for the TD.
 
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